This invention relates to the art of molding machines and more particularly to automatic matchplate molding machines of the type in which a pattern plate is located between cope and drag flasks adapted to be filled with sand and adapted to be rammed upwardly toward a squeeze head in order to pack the sand and form mold cavities in the sand in the flasks. A machine of this general type is disclosed in Hunter U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,218.
The pattern plate of such a machine carries oppositely projecting cope and drag patterns which form mold cavities in the cope and drag molds, respectively. Conventionally, the pattern plate is fastened by bolts to a peripheral flange which extends around the upper end of the drag flask. In order to replace the pattern plate with a plate having differently shaped patterns, it is necessary to remove the bolts and the pattern plate, install the new pattern plate and then re-install the bolts. Removal and re-installation of the bolts is laborious and is very time-consuming. When a large number of pattern plates is changed on a frequent basis, the changeover operation is labor intensive and thus is costly.